ISSUE NO. 497

BY NOW YOU PROBABLY KNOW . . .


that Dorothy and I both identify as women. We've been running Good Food Jobs since we conjured up the idea for it on a road trip to our alma mater, Cornell University, back in 2009. We are now 37 and 36 years old, respectively.

What you might not know is that we are also mothers, in the biological sense. Dorothy gave birth to her daughter in 2011, at about the same time that we launched Good Food Jobs. I gave birth to a son in September 2016, two days before Dorothy's daughter started kindergarten. And now I'm entering the projected birth month of my second born.

Through the first two 'Good Food Jobs babies', as we like to think of them, we've felt our way through the process the only way we know how: by trial and error. We were fortunate to have been able to build a business model that allows us to cover each other in times of need, and also have the flexibility and freedom to jump in and contribute when we have the inspiration, energy and resources. This has been a huge gift in our lives. And, of course, we have often stumbled along the way as we navigate the worlds of being female and creative, and working and caring for kids.

This time around, I am building upon my former experience and aiming to preserve more time and space around my second labor to rest up, heal, and restore. So this month, as we lead up to our 500th newsletter (!!!), and as I prepare to check out of the newsletter routine for a few months, I wanted to take the opportunity to cover the overlap between maternity, food, and work. These topics weave so thickly together that it's hard to separate them at times. We hope that you enjoy the perspective, whether it's new to you or very familiar, and regardless of your gender, or what type of mother you might be.
 
With love and care,

Tay + Dor

Co-Founders, Good Food Jobs

PS We also want to send our well wishes to Gina, who has been a huge part of the GFJ team the past two years (if you've written our an email related to customer service in the past two years, Gina was likely the person you heard from, with a signature blend of thoughtfulness and the ability to get things done.) She, too, is expecting a child in March, and you can read more about her plans in the tidbits section below. 

tidbits...

what we’re reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday…

Read some maternal words of wisdom from one of our favorite women on the planet (full disclosure: she works for GFJ). 

One of our favorite food and cultural resources for postpartum: The First Forty Days. This is the book that we were always waiting for and are so grateful came out a few years ago.

We were curious to read about the controversy behind the new book Rage Baking, and frustrated to see Tangerine Jones' incredible idea, and inspiring grassroots efforts, so consciously ignored. 

Chris Young, coordinator of the UK's Real Bread campaign and editor of True Loaf magazine, recommends the Five Best Books on Baking.

It's incredible to think that every single human on the planet started as a baby. 

got a tidbit? drop it here for us, and you just might see it in next week's newsletter.